Valve unveils verification process for games on Steam Deck

[Daniel Sims]

What just happened? Valve has unveiled its plans for how it will verify Steam games' compatibility on its upcoming Steam Deck portable PC. The process will involve checking the functionality of each game and labeling them into four categories to inform players of how well each game works on the Steam Deck.

Steam is host to thousands of games, and all of them were primarily optimized to run on desktops or laptops, not a portable form factor. Furthermore, most games on Steam are Windows-only, and will need Valve's Proton compatibility layer in order to run on its Linux-based operating system. Valve's verification system is looking to ease the process of knowing how well each game runs for both users and developers.

Valve's page for the verification program lays out the four categories of compatibility. The highest is "verified," which basically means a game is fully playable from boot-up with a controller, can display at 1,280 x 800 or 1,280 x 720 with legible text, and Proton supports all its middleware including anti-cheat. The next rating down is "playable," meaning a game might require players to manually adjust some settings or get past a launcher using the touchscreen or virtual keyboard. Below that are games that are "unsupported" (Valve used the VR-only Half-Life Alex as an example) or "unknown," the latter of which simply haven't been tested yet.

When browsing Steam, users will be able to see badges next to games displaying their Steam Deck compatibility rating. There will also be an entire section of Steam displaying only games with the "verified" rating.

In an exclusive interview with Rock Paper Shotgun, Valve clarified that the minimum framerate for a "verified" rating is 30 frames per second, and that players can still try to boot up any game on Steam Deck even if it's rating is "unsupported" or "unknown." Valve also said that anti-cheat is one of its biggest obstacles for Steam Deck compatibility. The company confirmed that it will provide developers with an API that will let them make a game able to tell if it's running on a Steam Deck, and adjust default settings accordingly.

Valve has already started reviewing games for compatibility, and players will be able to check how much of their own libraries run well on Steam Deck before launch this December. Steam Deck verification will be an ongoing process, so a game's rating might change if it updates or as the Steam Deck's own software changes over time.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/91810-valve-unveils-verification-process-games-steam-deck.html

 

[Dimitriid]

It's like a simplified version of the Protondb ratings (And the winedb ratings before that): Gold and Platinum for the verified stuff, Bronze and Silver for the "playable" rating and "borked" for everything else.

 

[Sausagemeat]

I really would rather just install windows. I play games from a bunch of different launchers these days and I know they will all work on windows.

 

[hahahanoobs]

These are not the limitations you want in a machine you want to make a profit from.
This is a niche device for tinkerers and techies.

 

[brucek]

Dev support for linux has always been a chicken vs the egg problem. I imagine Steam believes it will generate sufficient consumer volume to make the little extra attention from game devs a no brainer. Lessening the MS monopoly on PC gaming could be a very good thing for all concerned in the long run.

 

[Yenega]

So when do they release a Pro version with a decent screen? 90 Hz AMOLED thank you. Not buying dated 800p 60Hz LCD SDR trash in 2021.. Games will look and run horrible, it does not even have VRR and fps won't be steady on that thing.

 

[Puiu]

These are not the limitations you want in a machine you want to make a profit from.
This is a niche device for tinkerers and techies.

All consoles have limitations. Actually, this has much MUCH fewer limitations.

 

[Puiu]

So when do they release a Pro version with a decent screen? 90 Hz AMOLED thank you. Not buying dated 800p 60Hz LCD SDR trash in 2021.. Games will look and run horrible, it does not even have VRR and fps won't be steady on that thing.

Do you honestly think an 1000$ handheld with those specs will sell enough? What about battery life? What about performance?

 

[Yenega]

All consoles have limitations. Actually, this has much MUCH fewer limitations.

This is more like an ultra low end pc. Which is nothing new. There's litterally tons of handheld PCs able to run Windows. Valve probably took heavy inspiration from these...

 

[Yenega]

Do you honestly think an 1000$ handheld with those specs will sell enough? What about battery life? What about performance?

Well Switch OLED exists for 350 dollars.

And the most expensive Steam Deck is already 650 dollars with an ultra crappy screen.

The cheapest steam deck is pretty much DoA because of the storage (size _and_ speed) and using sd card would result in a crappy experience so the cheapest Steam Deck that makes sense to buy is the 529 dollar version.

But lets see when the units will even be possible to buy... I doubt we will see many of them before 2023+ and by then the hardware might even be too dated to play newer games (as in true next gen games, made for ps5/xsx and pc only)

I would ONLY consider Steam Deck for playing older games + emulation but the crappy screen makes me NOT want to buy it and yeah, I would gladly pay 800-900 dollars for a Pro version with 90 Hz AMOLED + HDR/VRR

After trying Switch OLED I'm 100% sure that a device like this needs an OLED screen. When insanely cheap Android phones can use OLED screens, why can't Steam Deck Pro? Almost no phones use LCD these days. Dated tech.

LEAVING OUT VRR is a huge mistake, since this device won't do solid 60 fps for sure in most games. It will jump up and down and VRR would be a nobrainer. Even Valve said that most demanding games will run at 30 fps using medium settings at best, mean fps dips below 30 will happen for sure and since this is just a pc, playing pc games, you will need to use software to cap the framerate to not see tearing all the time (since most games don't have in-game limiter and you would not want to use vsync and get insane input lag - the screen will probably run at 60 hz tho and fps will be 30ish meaning wonky experience)

 

[Puiu]

Well Switch OLED exists for 350 dollars.

And the most expensive Steam Deck is already 650 dollars with an ultra crappy screen.

The cheapest steam deck is pretty much DoA because of the storage (size _and_ speed) and using sd card would result in a crappy experience so the cheapest Steam Deck that makes sense to buy is the 529 dollar version.

But lets see when the units will even be possible to buy... I doubt we will see many of them before 2023+ and by then the hardware might even be too dated to play newer games (as in true next gen games, made for ps5/xsx and pc only)

I would ONLY consider Steam Deck for playing older games + emulation but the crappy screen makes me NOT want to buy it and yeah, I would gladly pay 800-900 dollars for a Pro version with 90 Hz AMOLED + HDR/VRR

After trying Switch OLED I'm 100% sure that a device like this needs an OLED screen. When insanely cheap Android phones can use OLED screens, why can't Steam Deck Pro? Almost no phones use LCD these days. Dated tech.

LEAVING OUT VRR is a huge mistake, since this device won't do solid 60 fps for sure in most games. It will jump up and down and VRR would be a nobrainer. Even Valve said that most demanding games will run at 30 fps using medium settings at best, mean fps dips below 30 will happen for sure and since this is just a pc, playing pc games, you will need to use software to cap the framerate to not see tearing all the time (since most games don't have in-game limiter and you would not want to use vsync and get insane input lag - the screen will probably run at 60 hz tho and fps will be 30ish meaning wonky experience)

The Steam Deck features a larger 800P screen (vs 720P on the switch). And it is the entire hardware that makes the Switch a bit cheaper, not just the screen (350$ is actually very expensive considering the hardware in has).

The base model for the Steam Deck is 400$ (only 50$ more) and it is leagues ahead of the now very old Tegra X1 in the Switch.

To put it into perspective: the Steam Deck's CPU is around 4x more powerful than the one on the PS4 (in raw power alone, ignoring the more modern features) with the GPU being fairly similar (with the new features of RDNA 2). The Switch doesn't even come close to the PS4, it is several times slower.

You seriously don't understand just how big of a difference there is between the two handheld consoles. One has a midrange cheapo phone SOC (a severely gimped one at that, not the full X1) with 4 GB LPDDR4 @ 1331/1600 MHz and the other is a full blown PC APU with 16 GB LPDDR5 @5500 MHz (it has a full OS, no limitations).

Even with the better OLED display, you don't even get to make use of it considering the fact that many Switch games don't run at 720p, but at a much lower resolution. For example, even the first party BOTW runs at 650p 30 fps.

 

[Yenega]

The Steam Deck features a larger 800P screen (vs 720P on the switch). And it is the entire hardware that makes the Switch a bit cheaper, not just the screen (350$ is actually very expensive considering the hardware in has).

The base model for the Steam Deck is 400$ (only 50$ more) and it is leagues ahead of the now very old Tegra X1 in the Switch.

To put it into perspective: the Steam Deck's CPU is around 4x more powerful than the one on the PS4 (in raw power alone, ignoring the more modern features) with the GPU being fairly similar (with the new features of RDNA 2). The Switch doesn't even come close to the PS4, it is several times slower.

You seriously don't understand just how big of a difference there is between the two handheld consoles. One has a midrange cheapo phone SOC (a severely gimped one at that, not the full X1) with 4 GB LPDDR4 @ 1331/1600 MHz and the other is a full blown PC APU with 16 GB LPDDR5 @5500 MHz (it has a full OS, no limitations).

Even with the better OLED display, you don't even get to make use of it considering the fact that many Switch games don't run at 720p, but at a much lower resolution. For example, even the first party BOTW runs at 650p 30 fps.

Yes I do. But Switch 2 will probably be out before Steam Deck is ready to buy for the masses haha.

I'd take a 720p OLED screen over 800p LCD trash screen every time, however I'm not saying I want or have a switch, just saying the screen is miles better than Steam Deck's. Switch sells because of games, so it's pointless to discuss hardware differences anyway, you won't be playing Swtich games on the Steam Deck because it's too weak to handle emulating Switch anyway. Steam Deck won't come anywhere close to Switch sales. I'd be amazed if Steam Deck even hits just 5% of total Switch sales over the next 5 years.

Switch 2 will probably have RTX cores and features DLSS _and_ come with OLED.

It's only a matter of time before Valve will update the Deck. It will barely do 800p 30fps in demanding games as it is. It will age like milk when next gen games come out. Maximum of 1.63 TFLOPS is pretty laughable for AAA gaming.

 

[Puiu]

Yes I do. But Switch 2 will probably be out before Steam Deck is ready to buy for the masses haha.

I'd take a 720p OLED screen over 800p LCD trash screen every time, however I'm not saying I want or have a switch, just saying the screen is miles better than Steam Deck's. Switch sells because of games, so it's pointless to discuss hardware differences anyway, you won't be playing Swtich games on the Steam Deck because it's too weak to handle emulating Switch anyway. Steam Deck won't come anywhere close to Switch sales. I'd be amazed if Steam Deck even hits just 5% of total Switch sales over the next 5 years.

Switch 2 will probably have RTX cores and features DLSS _and_ come with OLED.

It's only a matter of time before Valve will update the Deck. It will barely do 800p 30fps in demanding games as it is. It will age like milk when next gen games come out. Maximum of 1.63 TFLOPS is pretty laughable for AAA gaming.

"But Switch 2 will probably be out before Steam Deck is ready to buy for the masses haha." - you moved from "even the Switch is cheaper" to making assumptions on when the Switch 2 will launch and its hardware. --> this is what people call fanboyism.

I can assure you that the Switch 2 will not be more powerful than the Deck. Nintendo hasn't used powerful last gen hardware in decades and you know this. If Nintendo where to release the Switch 2/Switch Pro in 2022 then they'll have to use the Tegra X2 or Xavier SOC from Nvidia since Orion isn't ready yet (and it's optimised for the auto industry anyway).

The idea that we'll see powerful GPUs in a Nintendo handheld is a pipedream (they would actually have a better chance switching to AMD for the GPU since it is more efficient at lower power limits and lower resolutions).

I've seen many people hoping that we'll at least get a new Switch Pro that enables the full Tegra X1

As for the Deck doing 30 fps, they've already shown many big titles running at 60 FPS. I'm sure there will be 30 FPS titles too, but we are talking about titles with incredible graphics. --> have you even seen the Doom and Wolfenstein titles on the Docked Switch (forget about handheld mode)?

 

[Yenega]

"But Switch 2 will probably be out before Steam Deck is ready to buy for the masses haha." - you moved from "even the Switch is cheaper" to making assumptions on when the Switch 2 will launch and its hardware. --> this is what people call fanboyism.

I can assure you that the Switch 2 will not be more powerful than the Deck. Nintendo hasn't used powerful last gen hardware in decades and you know this. If Nintendo where to release the Switch 2/Switch Pro in 2022 then they'll have to use the Tegra X2 or Xavier SOC from Nvidia since Orion isn't ready yet (and it's optimised for the auto industry anyway).

The idea that we'll see powerful GPUs in a Nintendo handheld is a pipedream (they would actually have a better chance switching to AMD for the GPU since it is more efficient at lower power limits and lower resolutions).

I've seen many people hoping that we'll at least get a new Switch Pro that enables the full Tegra X1

Switch don't really need better hardware anyway, because it's a closed ecosystem where Steam Deck is just a pc. PC rarely gets proper optimization, because developers have more room to slack (because of powerful hardware) and this might be a problem for Steam Deck, it's ultra low-end hardware afterall.

However Switch 2 will get DLSS for sure, allowing for much better perf/resolution and all games will support it because again, closed ecosystem and every title is heavily optimized and tuned to perform at 100% I highly doubt they will "switch" to AMD they need ARM (low wattage) + RTX (DLSS) for battery life.

Steam Deck has less battery life than Switch OLED. Steam Deck is not lasting that long playing AAA games (blasting 100% on CPU/GPU and screen at more than 50%)

Nah fanboy I am not, because I have no interrest in a Switch or Steam Deck. I would rather have a Steam Deck _if_ it had a proper screen and better specs. In 2-4 years I might get one. Better CPU, GPU and an AMOLED 90 Hz screen with VRR and HDR and I'm all in.

 

[Puiu]

Switch don't really need better hardware anyway, because it's a closed ecosystem where Steam Deck is just a pc. PC rarely gets proper optimization, because developers have more room to slack (because of powerful hardware) and this might be a problem for Steam Deck, it's ultra low-end hardware afterall.

However Switch 2 will get DLSS for sure, allowing for much better perf/resolution and all games will support it because again, closed ecosystem and every title is heavily optimized and tuned to perform at 100% I highly doubt they will "switch" to AMD they need ARM (low wattage) + RTX (DLSS) for battery life.

Steam Deck has less battery life than Switch OLED. Steam Deck is not lasting that long playing AAA games (blasting 100% on CPU/GPU and screen at more than 50%)

Nah fanboy I am not, because I have no interrest in a Switch or Steam Deck. I would rather have a Steam Deck _if_ it had a proper screen and better specs. In 2-4 years I might get one. Better CPU, GPU and an AMOLED 90 Hz screen with VRR and HDR and I'm all in.

And now you went from Switch 2 being better to talking about something else. This kind of switching topics whenever you get a counter-argument you can't refute is just childish.

First off, it has been confirmed that the Deck will support FSR and it can output up to 4K when docked (you can inject FSR in pretty much any game now thanks to the open source community). You also get Freesync and HDR for external monitors/TVs.

In terms of battery you can play Portal at 60 FPS (allegedly) for around 4 hours which is not bad. If you play Mario Oddesey with everything set to minimum you get a bit under 4 hours on the Switch (Mario Kart 8 Delux gets 4 hours and a few minutes). --> I don't see the a big advantage here, do you? It all depends on the game and settings you use.

You seem to hope that Nintendo will somehow magically make a cheap console with all of the modern bells and whistles. Unlike Sony and MS, Nintendo doesn't make hardware that isn't profitable. They don't sell hardware at a loss and they also don't focus on the high end expensive market like the PS5.

 

[Yenega]

And now you went from Switch 2 being better to talking about something else. This kind of switching topics whenever you get a counter-argument you can't refute is just childish.

First off, it has been confirmed that the Deck will support FSR and it can output up to 4K when docked (you can inject FSR in pretty much any game now thanks to the open source community). You also get Freesync and HDR for external monitors/TVs.

In terms of battery you can play Portal at 60 FPS (allegedly) for around 4 hours which is not bad. If you play Mario Oddesey with everything set to minimum you get a bit under 4 hours on the Switch (Mario Kart 8 Delux gets 4 hours and a few minutes). --> I don't see the a big advantage here, do you? It all depends on the game and settings you use.

You seem to hope that Nintendo will somehow magically make a cheap console with all of the modern bells and whistles. Unlike Sony and MS, Nintendo doesn't make hardware that isn't profitable. They don't sell hardware at a loss and they also don't focus on the high end expensive market like the PS5.

DLSS is miles better than FSR and simply injecting FSR in games have already shown to be wonky AF (as in lower performance and worse visuals than native res). This has been tested by numerous people already.

Besides AMD have no hardware that can match ARM chips in terms of power efficiency. Steam Deck needs x86 tho and is nothing but an extremely low-end PC.

What is the point of buying a handheld device if you use it for a tv/monitor instead? You can build a far superior itx pc then.

I don't hope for anything, I look at numbers and Switch dominates. Steam Deck won't change a thing, because it's just a low-end PC without exclusives and most games will run mediocre on it, especially going forward

 

[Puiu]

DLSS is miles better than FSR and simply injecting FSR in games have already shown to be wonky AF (as in lower performance and worse visuals than native res). This has been tested by numerous people already.

Besides AMD have no hardware that can match ARM chips in terms of power efficiency. Steam Deck needs x86 tho and is nothing but an extremely low-end PC.

What is the point of buying a handheld device if you use it for a tv/monitor instead? You can build a far superior itx pc then.

I don't hope for anything, I look at numbers and Switch dominates. Steam Deck won't change a thing, because it's just a low-end PC without exclusives and most games will run mediocre on it, especially going forward

"DLSS is miles better than FSR" - it works just fine. You are just making assumptions, you don't know if the next Switch will have DLSS. You don't even know if the SOC they'll use will have tensor cores. it's just something you wish it will have.

"AMD have no hardware that can match ARM chips in terms of power efficiency" - Yes they do, especially against what Nvidia is doing. The Deck APU is running between 4W and 15W depending on the workload. Only Apple's 5nm M1 currently has better performance at that power envelope. (it's why AMD managed to create a mobile SOC with RDNA2 with Samsung)

Tegra Xavier is 12nm and its 10-15W modes are clearly not as capable, especially on the CPU side (the 30W mode does have a better GPU). We all know that Nintendo isn't going for 30W or even 15W.

Nvidia's focus is clearly not on efficiency with these new Tegra SOCs now that they're not made for gaming as its main market. Nvidia is pushing hard to enter the automobile market.

Let me spell it out for you: Nintendo will not adopt Tegra Orin (at least not in late 2022 or first half of 2023 - maybe Q4 2023 if they don't release something else early).

 

[maroon1]

The Steam Deck features a larger 800P screen (vs 720P on the switch). And it is the entire hardware that makes the Switch a bit cheaper, not just the screen (350$ is actually very expensive considering the hardware in has).

Switch OLED and Steam Deck both have same size 7 inch display.... However, steam deck use 16:10 aspect ratio and 1280x800 resolution, while switch use 16:9 1280x720.... Only difference is in vertical resolution

To put it into perspective: the Steam Deck's CPU is around 4x more powerful than the one on the PS4 (in raw power alone, ignoring the more modern features) with the GPU being fairly similar (with the new features of RDNA 2). The Switch doesn't even come close to the PS4, it is several times slower.

Multi-threaded ?? I doubt that

Zen3 has only ~2.3x IPC at same clock speed compared jaguar (if you go by cinebench score).... Also, Steam Deck will run below 3GHz (15w TDP APU can't sustain high clock speed specially when all cores and GPU are used)...... I would say zen3 4/8 threads under 3GHz should be around 2.5x faster than 8 cores jaguar at 1.6GHz in multi-thread....... Single-thread is different story, the zen3 should be almost 4x faster (which is around same difference as Xbox series X and Xbox one X, microsoft say Series X is 4x faster in single-thread)

Even with the better OLED display, you don't even get to make use of it considering the fact that many Switch games don't run at 720p, but at a much lower resolution. For example, even the first party BOTW runs at 650p 30 fps.

BOTW runs dynamic resolution (720p max, 648p lowest) in handheld mode according to digital foundry..... 900p to 810p in docked mode

OLED display is not about resolution... It about having better colors and contrast ratio than LCD

 

[Puiu]

Switch OLED and Steam Deck both have same size 7 inch display.... However, steam deck use 16:10 aspect ratio and 1280x800 resolution, while switch use 16:9 1280x720.... Only difference is in vertical resolution




Multi-threaded ?? I doubt that

Zen3 has only ~2.3x IPC at same clock speed compared jaguar (if you go by cinebench score).... Also, Steam Deck will run below 3GHz (15w TDP APU can't sustain high clock speed specially when all cores and GPU are used)...... I would say zen3 4/8 threads under 3GHz should be around 2.5x faster than 8 cores jaguar at 1.6GHz in multi-thread....... Single-thread is different story, the zen3 should be almost 4x faster (which is around same difference as Xbox series X and Xbox one X, microsoft say Series X is 4x faster in single-thread)




BOTW runs dynamic resolution (720p max, 648p lowest) in handheld mode according to digital foundry..... 900p to 810p in docked mode

OLED display is not about resolution... It about having better colors and contrast ratio than LCD

1. I never said that it is much bigger, just that it is 800p vs 720p. 16:10 is bigger than 16:9 resolution wise.

2. Yes MT. It's not just the IPC you mentioned, but also clock speed: 1.6GHz vs 3.5GHz (it's actually greater than 4x). You can add the extra modern instructions like AVX2. If I remember correctly the PS4 had about 100 GFLOPS (130 on PS4 Pro) and the Deck is estimated to have about 440 GFLOPS.

3. Indeed you sacrifice a bit of contrast and color accuracy.

But lets be real here, you don't a nintendo console because the screen is OLED or not, you buy it for the exclusive titles it has. You buy it for Zelda and Mario and that's not a bad thing, it's what made the Switch a success.

I seriously don't get why you are so against the Steam Deck. Is an IPS panel so bad that you can't use it? It's a 400 nits screen which is much better than the 300 nits the original switch had. You are getting something in-between the original and the new switch in quality.

 

[maroon1]

2. Yes MT. It's not just the IPC you mentioned, but also clock speed: 1.6GHz vs 3.5GHz (it's actually greater than 4x). You can add the extra modern instructions like AVX2. If I remember

Except it is not 3.5GHz.... 3.5GHz is max boost clock..... It is listed 2.4Ghz (base) to 3.5GHz (max boost)... Last time I check, low power APU don't run at max boost when all cores used, and can't sustain high clock speed for long time..... PS4 clock speed is fixed that run 1.6GHz all time in all cases... Even when all cores are used

 

[Puiu]

Except it is not 3.5GHz.... 3.5GHz is max boost clock..... It is listed 2.4Ghz (base) to 3.5GHz (max boost)... Last time I check, low power APU don't run at max boost when all cores used, and can't sustain high clock speed for long time..... PS4 clock speed is fixed that run 1.6GHz all time in all cases... Even when all cores are used

it's not boost clock but variable frequency for both the CPU and GPU. this means that the Deck will dynamically allocate more power to the GPU or CPU depending on the bottleneck and workload. the clocks can be sustained and this is an important power saving and performance feature.

anymore nitpicks regarding what I wrote?

 

[Yenega]

The 4C/8T Zen 2 CPU is already a bottleneck in most newer games, and clockspeeds are low. It's "up to" 3.5 GHz yeah.. Meaning it will be powerlimited, you won't see all threads peaking at 3.5 GHz for long thats for sure. It will age like milk going forward since current console gen have 8 cores. AS I SAID, when we see true next gen games, PC gaming will get very affected and quad core CPUs will be trashbinworthy. Hexa core CPUs might work in some games but you really want a 8 core CPU going forward.

Steam Deck won't automaticly allocatate anything. It will be powerlimited in pretty much all aspects to keep batterylife in check. If you disable all limiters (if you can, without modding or flashing firmware) it probably won't even run for 2 hours in a demanding game and get hot in your hands. The 4-15W APU will peak at both CPU and GPU (and use all 15W) in most games outside of indies or very old games.

Valve officially said fps target is 30 fps at 800p with low/medium settings depending on game - which I would consider bare minimum and this is why they should have supported VRR because the experience is going to be horrible with tearing and fps dips like crazy. The ultra low hardware is going to be maxed completely out.

CONSOLES fix this by locking fps and optimizing software to perfection, but Steam Deck is going to play regular PC GAMES. It gets zero optimization and even runs Linux as native OS (meaning even worse performance in pretty much all games on Steam, compared to the windows version) and the screen is locked at 60 Hz while delivering around 30 fps (I expect 15-45 fps in most game, which will make the experience wonky AF without VRR.

A low-end crap PC really benefits from VRR because fps varies alot. Steam Deck is exactly that.

Console optimization is not something you should underestimate. Just look at Dying Light on Switch. Pretty much matches PS4 version in visuals and performance with ultra low end POS hardware. This is why most consoles can work with inferior specs, however Steam Deck is not a console, but a small form factor PC and will get no love from devs, especially considering the low marketshare this thing will have. By the time it might have _some_ market share, specs will be outdated and new games won't run anyway.

Also STEAM today literally lacks tons of PC GAMES, which is why SteamOS failed pretty hard. Most Steam Deck buyers won't even know how to install Windows to get access to all PC games and emulators. They will buy, power on and use it as it is. And who knows what the battery life will be in Windows compared to their (hopefully) tweaked and insanely low-weight Linux distro.

Will be fun to see reviews when it actually is ready for consumers. I expect late 2022 or even 2023+ for mass production considering the chip situation.

Valve is not going to fullfill those pre-orders if their production price went up 50-100%

Wake me up when Steam Deck Pro / 2 comes out with proper specs and screen, and I might be interrested.

 

[Puiu]

The 4C/8T Zen 2 CPU is already a bottleneck in most newer games, and clockspeeds are low. It's "up to" 3.5 GHz yeah.. Meaning it will be powerlimited, you won't see all threads peaking at 3.5 GHz for long thats for sure. It will age like milk going forward since current console gen have 8 cores. AS I SAID, when we see true next gen games, PC gaming will get very affected and quad core CPUs will be trashbinworthy. Hexa core CPUs might work in some games but you really want a 8 core CPU going forward.

Steam Deck won't automaticly allocatate anything. It will be powerlimited in pretty much all aspects to keep batterylife in check. If you disable all limiters (if you can, without modding or flashing firmware) it probably won't even run for 2 hours in a demanding game and get hot in your hands. The 4-15W APU will peak at both CPU and GPU (and use all 15W) in most games outside of indies or very old games.

Valve officially said fps target is 30 fps at 800p with low/medium settings depending on game - which I would consider bare minimum and this is why they should have supported VRR because the experience is going to be horrible with tearing and fps dips like crazy. The ultra low hardware is going to be maxed completely out.

CONSOLES fix this by locking fps and optimizing software to perfection, but Steam Deck is going to play regular PC GAMES. It gets zero optimization and even runs Linux as native OS (meaning even worse performance in pretty much all games on Steam, compared to the windows version) and the screen is locked at 60 Hz while delivering around 30 fps (I expect 15-45 fps in most game, which will make the experience wonky AF without VRR.

A low-end crap PC really benefits from VRR because fps varies alot. Steam Deck is exactly that.

Console optimization is not something you should underestimate. Just look at Dying Light on Switch. Pretty much matches PS4 version in visuals and performance with ultra low end POS hardware. This is why most consoles can work with inferior specs, however Steam Deck is not a console, but a small form factor PC and will get no love from devs, especially considering the low marketshare this thing will have. By the time it might have _some_ market share, specs will be outdated and new games won't run anyway.

Also STEAM today literally lacks tons of PC GAMES, which is why SteamOS failed pretty hard. Most Steam Deck buyers won't even know how to install Windows to get access to all PC games and emulators. They will buy, power on and use it as it is. And who knows what the battery life will be in Windows compared to their (hopefully) tweaked and insanely low-weight Linux distro.

Will be fun to see reviews when it actually is ready for consumers. I expect late 2022 or even 2023+ for mass production considering the chip situation.

Valve is not going to fullfill those pre-orders if their production price went up 50-100%

Wake me up when Steam Deck Pro / 2 comes out with proper specs and screen, and I might be interrested.

I think you are misunderstanding a few things. The Steam Deck is not limited to just you Steam Library. It has a full on Linux OS (this means that WINE is also an option) and you can even install Windows on it if you wanted to.

As for it being underpowered, yes it is compared to normal PCs. But you are targeting lower resolutions (between 720p and 1080p). Most games should run just fine with lowered settings (you can even try FSR if you want higher resolutions).

The good part is that it seems Valve and AMD are working on heavily optimising and improving the drivers (you have some details and numbers here):

AMD's new Linux CPU driver for the Steam deck is showing promising results

Valve's upcoming Steam Deck will be able to run Windows 11 for those who want it, but the majority of users will likely stick with the company's...

www.techspot.com

These optimisations will be added to all Linux distros, not just the Steam Deck.

 

[Yenega]

I think you are misunderstanding a few things. The Steam Deck is not limited to just you Steam Library. It has a full on Linux OS (this means that WINE is also an option) and you can even install Windows on it if you wanted to.

As for it being underpowered, yes it is compared to normal PCs. But you are targeting lower resolutions (between 720p and 1080p). Most games should run just fine with lowered settings (you can even try FSR if you want higher resolutions).

The good part is that it seems Valve and AMD are working on heavily optimising and improving the drivers (you have some details and numbers here):

AMD's new Linux CPU driver for the Steam deck is showing promising results

Valve's upcoming Steam Deck will be able to run Windows 11 for those who want it, but the majority of users will likely stick with the company's...

www.techspot.com

These optimisations will be added to all Linux distros, not just the Steam Deck.

Running games thru WINE is a wonky experience; Bad performance, issues, crashing etc. - Tried it several times.

You really want to have Windows on the Steam Deck to be able to play all games without issues. Windows is the priority for 99.9% of developers and hardware manufacturers (AMD/Nvidia/Intel) - And this is why Valve said that you can install Windows on it. They just don't want to pay for a Windows license, so they ship with Linux.

Linux gaming is a joke for the most part. Hence the >1% marketshare.
Even MacOS have 10 times more marketshare + more native games by now.

 

[Puiu]

Running games thru WINE is a wonky experience; Bad performance, issues, crashing etc. - Tried it several times.

You really want to have Windows on the Steam Deck to be able to play all games without issues.

Linux gaming is a joke for the most part. Hence the 1% marketshare at best. Even MacOS have pretty much 10 times more + more native games by now.

People who tried Valve's Proton say that it works really well, especially on AMD hardware (Valve and AMD are working on improving stability and performance of the drivers). Let's not make make sweeping statements without actually trying it.

What I do know is that Nvidia software is currently very wanky so that's why you are hearing these "jokes" about Linux gaming. Most people have Nvidia GPUs.

You should have the majority of AAA games working on Steam using Proton. Wine is a fallback for other games.